Photo Post

(You said I could do late because my blog wasn't working.)

I choose a picture of the beast from Beauty and the Beast because both characters go through a huge transformation while trying to hold on to the old version of themselves. Once Pip gets the money from his benefactor, he moves to London to become a gentleman and make something of his life. The Beast didn't have the same type of story, he actually had the exact opposite. He was turned from a charming Prince into a ugly beast. Even though the overall stories are different, the motives and insecurities are the same. They both change in a huge way but want to act the same way. Pip at least has some guide lies to his change, like his benefactor saying he has to continue to go by the name Pip. While the Beast just gets changed, with the only rule being that he needs to find someone to love him before the rose completely disappears. The stories may vary but the underlining fact is that even through Pip and the Beast they both try to keep true to themselves while advancing themselves in life.

Making Connections

Cinderella. The Disney movie that gives every little girl dreams of finding her perfect Prince and having a fairy godmother who will be there whenever you need a magical ball gown. I secretly say that I was one of those little girls, and part of me still is that little girl. Because no matter how much you mature and grow, part of you always holds on to the hope that you will live happily ever after in a castle far, far away. And even though Pip doesn't have the dream of walking down the grand castle stairs with two pure glass slippers, he has the dream of being a gentleman. And he might not desire for his Prince Charming, but he desires Estella.
The obvious theme that both of these stories share is the want for something better. Cinderella and Pip both where born into poor and less that great situations, which gives them a drive to be better. But the characters couldn't do it alone, and Cinderella had her fairy godmother to help her achieve better while Pip had Mr.Jagger's. I know what you are thinking, Mr.Jagger's defiantly doesn't have a wonderful wand and a catchy pumpkin song, but he does help Pip become a gentleman. And that is Pip's intended dream. These two timeless stories may seem to be very different with far from similar audiences, but they do share some of the same themes with similar characters which causes a connection.
"A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep. In dreams you will lose your heartaches...No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true." -Cinderella

The Second Stage

At the start of the second stage Pip goes to London to become a gentleman. It seems that when Pip goes to London, he is in a way, leaving his past behind him. But nothing can ever be that simple. And when Joe comes to see Hamlet, there is some defiant tension between them. But Pip now does not have to lift a finger to earn his money because of his secret benefactor. So Pip is now getting used to his rich lifestyle in which he hires a servant to do nothing along with lending money to anyone who needs it.
During the second stage Pip and Estella go to a restaurant. Even though Pip is now becoming a gentleman and proving to himself and everyone that he is something, he still can't have Estella. Estella almost represents the one thing that will always be out of his reach. And since Pip is human, he has the characteristic of wanting what he can't have.

Life is like a chain

I think Pip is talking about life. Well, that seems to be an obvious answer but I don't have any other way to put it. "The thorns and flowers that bound us.." I think of those as the major events that have happened in our life to make us who we are today. The thorns being the bad events, that make us different, like mine is my great grandfather's funeral. A thorn that bounds me is watching him being lowered into the ground and knowing that he would never see me marry the man of my dreams or watch me graduate from college. And that effects me my wanting to do everything I do in spite of him, and even know he can't be there with me, knowing he is watching me. A flower would be a great moment that effects you in a positive way, and I have many of those and I would hope that everyone would. My flower is holding my nephew for the first time when he was two days old. I can't describe the feeling perfectly because it is beyond words. I just knew that I loved this eight pounds in my arms more than anything. My flowers and thorns have all changed my life for better or worse, but that is a part of life. And I think that Pip's have done the same for him. And I believe that realizes that our memories make ourselves better is part of maturity, and Pip is maturing. He is growing, and throughout the last couple of chapters we are seeing him grow up and act more like an adult than he has ever before.